China changes tack, says Dalai Lama trying to wreck India ties

Beijing/New Delhi, Nov 3: In a subtle shift of stance, China Tuesday accused Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama of trying to "wreck" Sino-Indian ties by his proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh, but refrained from condemning New Delhi for allowing the trip.

The Dalai Lama is planning to visit the northeastern Indian state, over which Beijing claims sovereignty, Nov 8.

China has repeatedly criticized the trip and asked India to stop it.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu Tuesday flayed the Dalai Lama for his "separatist" activities.

"The Dalai Lama often lies and often engages in acts to sabotage China's relations with other countries," said Ma.

"I am confident that his scheme to wreck China's relations with the relevant country will come to nothing," he said.

Ma went on to say that last month Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh had agreed to focus on promoting "healthy and stable relations".

"We hope that each side will continue striving to make strides in that direction," said Ma.

A government source said in New Delhi: "We have made our position clear. The Dalai Lama, as prime minister has said, can go anywhere in India, provided he does not indulge in political activities."

Wen and Manmohan Singh met for formal talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in the Thai resort of Hua Hin Oct 24. They discussed the Dalai Lama's trip during a dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister.

A day after the meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told journalists that the Dalai Lama is "an honoured guest" of India.

Manmohan Singh said he was not aware of the travel plans of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing his Tibetan homeland in 1959, but had explained to the Chinese leadership India's position.

"I explained to Premier Wen that the Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader," Manmohan Singh said.

"(But) we do not allow Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities. As a proof of that, last year we took resolute action at the time of Olympics when there were reports that some Tibetan refugees might disrupt (the Olympic torch relay)."

China's reiteration of its opposition to Dalai Lama's Arunachal Pradesh trip comes at a time when both countries are trying to keep relations on an even keel after mutual recriminations over a host of issues, including reported Chinese incursions, Beijing's repeated assertions of its claims over Arunachal Pradesh and China's plan for new projects in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.